Environmental Challenges Essay Example

Environmental Challenges Paper Tenochtitlan was a city in which the Gods of his polytheistic civilization told them they must settle. Tenochtitlan is an island in the middle of Lake Texcoco. This created environmental challenges for the Aztecs. The Aztecs had to build a large civilization with this island that had limited space. These people needed a lot Of room to farm, but there was very minimal space to do this. If there was not a lot of farmland, it would lead to a limited supply of food. There was also a limited amount of freshwater. Freshwater was necessary because the Aztecs needed clean, fresh water to drink. Since Tenochtitlan was an island in the middle of a lake, there was only so much water in which they could actually drink because half of the lake contained salt water. Limited trade and travel made it difficult to get off the island and be in contact with other people. Aztec civilization was also in need of people for human sacrifices. They did not want to kill their own people so they needed to find a way to get off the island and out of Lake Texcoco. The Aztec civilization overcame its environmental challenges. Since their civilization was on Tenochtitlan, an island, in Lake Texcoco, there was limited ravel and trade. We will write a custom essay sample on Environmental Challenges specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Environmental Challenges specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Environmental Challenges specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer To overcome this challenge, Aztecs built canals and causeways. A causeway is simply a road that is built over water and wet land. This allowed the people to get off Tenochtitlan and onto regular land where they could now travel to different places and trade their goods with other tribes. To eliminate the little amount of food in Tenochtitlan, farmers planted crops like maize in the lakes bottom. These plants were called Chinampas. A Chinampa is created when dirt is piled in rafts and anchored to the bottom of a lake. Chinampas are commonly referred to as floating gardens. ople would be conquered by the Aztecs which caused the Aztecs to obtain more land and food for their people. So they would have as much freshwater as possible, the Aztecs built dykes to divide the lakes freshwater and salt water. Aqueducts were also built to transport freshwater into the city. An aqueduct is a man-made channel that is used to transfer water. Lastly, the Aztecs would take other tribes prisoner. They did this because they needed people for human sacrifices. Human sacrifice occurs when a civilization kills people because of that civilizations religious beliefs. The Incas faced many environmental challenges due to the fact that they lived in the Andes Mountains. The Andes Mountains were very steep. Some of the mountain ranges did not have great soil and they could not plant their crops. For the crops they did have in the areas with good soil, it was very difficult to get the water needed to them. The mountainous land in which messengers had to cross made it difficult for the Inca. They had to cross over the mountains, deserts, and water. The messengers had enough trouble already since they have to run the whole way until they can stop. They would stop at the next station and pass the message on to the next person, similar to a relay. These messages needed to be delivered because if a person living in Cuzco, the Inca capital, needed to send a message to someone in the northern part of the empire, in modern day Ecuador, there would be no way to communicate. The Andes Mountains were not smooth and flat therefore, it was hard to transport goods. The Inca needed to find a way to transport their things, like potatoes and maize, which was easier than carrying everything a little bit at a time. The Inca civilization overcame its environmental challenges. Since some of the Andes Mountains had good soil for farming, the Inca used terrace farming. Terrace farming is when you cut flat steps into the side of hills or mountains to grow crops. This type of farming gave the people flat farming area so they could plant their crops. The most common crop to the Inca was the potato. It was hard to bring the water to the Incas crops since they were located on the mountainsides. Irrigation systems had to be built so the crops could grow. The Incas grew so much food that there was a surplus of food nd everyone in the civilization was able to eat. Communication was very hard during this civilization. Messengers had to run across the Andes, cross water, and cross deserts. To make this easier for them, women would tie rope bridges together and when they were finished and stable, they would be able to cross over these geographic features quickly and easily. The messages the messengers carried was known as a quipu. A quipu is a device that was used for recording information and consisted Of various threads and knots. The knots were tied in different ways. The number and position of knots as well as the color of each thread represented information about commercial goods and resources. Lastly, it had been difficult to transport all of the Incas goods. They would use llamas to help them with this. Since the llamas lived in the Andes, they could manage to walk on the steep and jagged mountains. The Incas would place things on the llamas back and it would then be brought wherever it needed to go. Two civilizations that overcame their environmental challenges are the Aztecs and Lake Texcoco and the Incas and the Andes Mountains. Civilizations ave often been provided with geographic problems that they have to overcome. An environmental challenge is a problem many civilizations face because the environment creates difficulties for their people. Environmental challenges may cause extreme difficulties at first, but after a civilization develops over time, they can find a way to overcome these obstacles. A civilization may develop in the middle of a lake, but roads can be built to overcome this. When a civilization develops in a mountain range, farmers can make steps in the mountains and use its soil to provide food for its entire population.

The Fifth Estate

The Fifth Estate The Fifth Estate The Fifth Estate By Maeve Maddox A movie about Julian Assange, the man who founded a website devoted to leaking information that governments wish to keep secret, is called The Fifth Estate. Most modern speakers associate the word estate with various types of property, for example, a grand house with extensive grounds the assets left by a deceased person a housing development The word estate in the expression fifth estate originates from a much earlier use of the word: An order or class regarded as part of the body politic, and as such participating in the government either directly or through its representatives. The earliest reference to this meaning of estate in the OED is dated 1380 when John Wyclif asserted that people belong to three categories ordained by God: priests, knights, and the â€Å"commons.† The concept evolved differently in different European countries, but the essential idea was to view society in terms of who had a voice in government. In England, the three estates came to be defined as Lords Spiritual (high-ranking clergy like bishops), Lords Temporal (nobility), and Commons. In France, the three estates were Clergy, Nobles, and Townsmen. A few European countries, like Sweden, recognized four estates, but it’s the three-estate concept that explains the development of the English expression fifth estate, A fact to keep in mind about the medieval third estate is that it did not include everyone who did not belong to the first two estates. The third estate was made up of wealthy landowners and merchants. The portion of the population that lacked rank or wealth lacked a political voice as well. The term fourth estate was coined in the 18th century as a figurative expression to label the sector of the population that exists outside the circle of established political power. Nowadays, the fourth estate has become a synonym for the Press, but in 1752, Fielding identified the fourth estate with â€Å"the Mob.† Various individuals and groups were referred to as â€Å"the fourth estate† before the term finally settled on the Press. Newspapers won the term because they were perceived as the voice of the politically or socially disenfranchised. If newspapers have sold out and become a part of the Establishment, then strictly speaking, the coinage â€Å"fifth estate† is unncessary. The mantle should simply be taken from the traditional Press and passed on to the Internet. However, maybe the term does represent something new. Perhaps the role of the fifth estate is not to provide everyone with a voice in government, but to provide a means of undermining government. So far, the meaning of fifth estate remains blurry. The earliest reference to its use in the OED refers to the medium of radio and is dated 1932. In a 1955 reference, the fifth estate is equated with trade unions. Only ten uses of fifth estate occur in the Corpus of Contemporary American English (COCA) for the years 1990-2012. Six of those citations refer to the title of a television program. The Assange movie will doubtless have the effect of turning fifth estate into a buzz word. How the term’s figurative meaning will evolve remains to be seen. Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Expressions category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:10 Rules for Writing Numbers and NumeralsList of Greek Words in the English LanguageKn- Words in English

Life and Its Lessons Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Life and Its Lessons - Essay Example Socrates said that he doesn’t want to flee, though he was to be sentenced. He wants to be sentenced even though he doesn’t believe in the ways on how the government sentenced him. He would like that the public know of his ideas rather than flee. He was a philosopher and he stood with his beliefs even if it meant he had to die for it. He further stated in Apology that â€Å"A good man cannot be harmed either in life or in death† and since he believed that he did the right thing, then he knew that even if he died then he would not be harmed.It was also in the text â€Å"Apology† wherein the â€Å"Strong Promise of Defiance† showed that Socrates was willing to defy the Athenian court whether it was a legal or illegal order if it stops him from being what he is which is a philosopher. In addition to this, another example is in the story â€Å"The Lesson† by Toni Cade Bambara, one of the characters Miss Moore is a college educated woman who has co me to live in a poor African−American neighborhood and took the responsibility to teach the children living in it about the community outside and the problems that African Americans and poor people face in the world. Miss Moore was not afraid to be different from the other members of the community where she lived. She was college educated, does not go to church like the rest of the community and wore her hair in curls that was different from the African-American descent who had their hair straightened out. . This just shows that she’s comfortable with her ancestry and does not conform to what was expected of their race. She was not afraid to share her ideas even if others think she is weird. Another example came from the play â€Å"A Raisin in the Sun† by Lorraine Hansbury, Beneatha was a feminist, her ideas and the way she thinks were that of a modern African-American woman. She even wants to works as a doctor which in his brother’s eyes was a job for a m an and wanted her to be a nurse instead. She was not afraid to speak of her ideas and what she feels (Domina, 3). In order to make right decisions people have to determine first who they really are. Because if they deny everything that they stand for, then the decision making capabilities may be hindered by conflicts within themselves. Another question that a person asks in life is â€Å"what can I know†, what people know in their lifetime came from what they learned from childhood and reinforced as they grow old. The lessons in life â€Å"what we can know† are influenced by people met in school, work, and the society. In addition, some lessons are results of the decisions or choices that are made. The story â€Å"The Things we Carried† by Tim O’Brien depicts and shows the things that soldiers carry both physical and emotional issues. It sets an example on what can one know in the workplace and the people they work

French Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 1

French Revolution - Essay Example During this period of time western civilization had undergone several changes related to cultural and social developments. Several movements took place in Europe during this period of time. The concept of liberalism emerged in the society during this period of time. Several businessmen and entrepreneurs of manufacturing organizations got huge profit through the introduction of liberalism in the society. It is true that common people were interested in the concept of socialism in society in order to enjoy social rights in the society. Moreover, the working class in this society was mostly recognized as the labor class in this period of time. People of this segment were strongly against the social concept of liberalism as it bought inequality and instability in the society. Therefore, the common people were strongly seeking for the socialistic government in order to gain individual and social rights in the society to enjoy equality and social stability. Slowly and gradually, strong vision towards nationalism started to grow among the common people. Joseph Mazzini formed a nationalist group in the year 1831 in order to meet the developed vision. This group strongly influenced the common people to move forward towards the developed vision (Taylor, 2001). This emergence of the vision of nationalism influenced the people to divide the entire empire in different nations. Conservatism and romanticism are the other important events that took place during this period of time. Vulnerable social and cultural development during this period of time caused the emergence of these two social events. These mentioned events played major role in the social and development of the country. Romanticism majorly featured in emotion, individualism and faith. In addition to this, the social concept of romanticism emerged from rationalism and it had linked politically along with liberalism and nationalism. During this period of time, the European society got diversified into these above

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR (EXAM PREPARATION) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words - 2

CONSUMER BEHAVIOUR (EXAM PREPARATION) - Essay Example Schouten and McAlexander (1995), in the work, try to explain that the responses of individual consumers can be explained by using what the term as the subcultures of consumption. The subcultures arise from the fact that people will tend to organize their lives along particular lines. The organizing process results in one making choices in their lives. The sub-groups can be defined as the authentic sub-units that can offer a self-reflection as to the relations of consumption. That is on the basis of the commitment that the people share in terms of the product, the brand or the activities being undertaken in the use circles. Other characteristics that may exist include unique jargons, rituals as well as the shared beliefs. The authors try to understand the consumers as well as the manner in which these consumers organize their various identities, as well as their lives. The most powerful organizing forces are the activities as well as the associated relationships. These interpersonal relationships are taken into consideration by people, and they make up a bigger percentage of the contributory factors towards consumer mannerisms. In trying to understand the fundamental alignments within the subcultures one would need to understand the ethnographic analyzes behind these groupings. Take for members club whereby on requires some subscription. Here there is a gathering of people with similar interests that have led to being together since they share the same mannerisms. For one to study the consumer behavior within this grouping, one would need to understand the overall structure of the subculture, as well as its ethos. The ethos represents the moral standing of the group as well as its values (Schouten and McAlexander, 1995). The grouping has some impact on the lives of the members since they are prescribed by an absolute code of conduct that distinguishes them from the rest, and that also aligns their consumption behaviors

Reflective Practice Relevent To Developing Clinical Skills Nursing Essay

Reflective Practice Relevent To Developing Clinical Skills Nursing Essay Reflective practice has been defined as Involving self, a process that is undertaken in response to a positive or negative event that may be initiate consciously or subconsciously, that requires to provide an answer (Chapman, Dempsey et al. 2009). It has also been defined as Paying critical attention to the practical values and theories which inform every day actions, by examining practice reflectively and reflexively, this leads to developmental insight (Clouston, Westcott 2005). Reflective practice is a process to which a person dissects their internal reactions to certain situations, and how they dealt with the cause and effect. It is only through this reflection that an individual can comprehensively understand and learn from their previous decision making mechanisms. Reflective practice gives the opportunity for a health professional to look back at their clinical skills used in given situations, and assess how these skills could be amended to better their professional practice. It is a method of learning from experiences, using experiences to analyze why problems occurred, and then to find a solution to these problems (Taylor 2010). Reflection has been defined by Dewey (1933) as active persistent and careful consideration of any belief or supposed form of knowledge in the light of the grounds that support it and the further conclusion to which it tends cited by (Mann, Gordon et al. 2009). Boud (1978) reinforces Deweys assessment of reflection, however, he aligns himself with an overtly emotional assessment of personal experience. Boud defines reflection as a generic term for those intellectual and affective activities in which individuals engage to explore their experiences in order to lead to a new understanding and appreciation cited by (Mann, Gordon et al. 2009). There is a gap between academia and good professional practice. Although a student may have a very good understanding of theory, this does not necessarily teach them about good professional practice (Baird 2008). Knowledge is something that is to be challenged and reinforced. Gaining knowledge through clinical experience and reflection is key to being a reflective practitioner (Clouston, Westcott 2005). This can be obtained at university level within Radiography through clinical placement, positioning classes and a personal development system (PDS) (Baird 2008). These classes give the student an opportunity to challenge, discuss, but more importantly reflect on the theory which they have learned. It is through problem solving that a student can reach below the purely scientific understanding of processes and procedures, and can delve into the deeper, and one could argue, the more complexities of clinical practice. Through these teaching methods a student can learn that the theory of practice is not always going to work in given situations, and through reflection they can amend their knowledge to give the result of better clinical skills and professional practice (Baird 2008). It would be nieve to assume that every patient, every ailment, should reprieve a standard set method of treatment. The PDS is an online resource which provides a student with a key initial starting block to which they can build a more successful, productive, and ultimately professional methodology to explore key skill and developmental needs (Rowland 2006). A study of students found that reflective exercises proved successful, and that they thought it could be a valuable part of their professional careers within the health service. Students realised that reflective practice can help to deal with any similar issues arising (Cronin, Connolly 2007). Another study found that student nurses gained confidence in decision making through journal writing also stating that they believed more, that writing could be used to learn (Epp 2008). Both studies show that reflective practice is a beneficial tool that can be used to enhance professional practice. However the first study is seemingly over crediting the usefulness of reflective practice on a one size fits all basis. Students must not become fully dependant on the benefits which reflective practice may bring, and must leave room for ingenuity, and adapt these procedures to specific circumstances. The second study reinforces the benefits which reflective practice can bring to a students confide nce in their own professional expertise. The introduction of key performance indicators (KPI) into healthcare departments increased awareness among staff and gave an obligation to staff to fulfil certain tasks (Abujudeh, Kaewlai et al. 2010). Through KPIs in individual can highlight areas of strengths and weaknesses, however more importantly can develop a systematic and detailed plan to improve their continual personal development. There are methods incorporated into KPIS to encourage reflective practice, Continual Professional Development (CPD) and life long learning (LLL) (Chapman, Dempsey et al. 2009). Within radiography these two strategies are used to develop reflective practice. LLL was implemented with the intention for individuals to continually re-educate themselves on advances within their field of work. CPD is a resource which is discussed in detail with, the relevant line manager. If CPD is used properly reflective thinking is encouraged in the practitioner (Chapman, Dempsey et al. 2009). This reinforces the rel ationship which exists between CPD and the development of reflective practice. The society of radiographers has invested in an exclusive CPD tool which gives advice to members on how to reflect and learn. The CPD plan outlines that reflective practice can be carried out in a number of ways. Firstly by writing a reflective journal about personal experiences in the workplace or secondly in an educational environment through health professionals attending courses, to learn better ways of becoming a good reflective practitioner (Kelly 2005). It is only through implementation of all of these methods that a continual and productive mode of reflective practice can be achieved through the CPD plan. Writing a reflective journal helps a health professional keep a record of their practice, remind themselves of good and bad practice, why it happened and how they overcame or will overcome the problem (Clouston, Westcott 2005). A study found when a group of radiation therapists gathered to write journals together that their motivation, confidence, professional knowledge, critical thinking and professional practice all increased ensuring the CPD of staff (Milinkovic, Field et al. 2008). It is vital for reflective practice to be a success, all individuals within an organisation must be wholly committed to the belief that reflective practice is a worthwhile and productive tool. Things which hinder reflective practice occur in workplaces where there is no emphasis put on it by line management.. The pressures placed on professionals in the clinical environment mean that the health professional may feel that time spent on reflective practice may seem wasted (Mann, Gordon et al. 2009). It is a well known fact that as the health professional spends more time in the profession, it is found that less of their time is spent reflecting. It has been said that barriers to reflective practice include lack of time and space, negative preconceptions, organisational culture, fear, the risk of routine and not fully understanding reflection (Clouston, Westcott 2005). A study found that the use of a facilitator within a healthcare team to guide people and help promote reflective practi ce was very beneficial to the team. The time spent on reflection was said to have enhanced critical thinking, professionalism, making decisions and being able to challenge things they were not in full agreement with (Mann, Gordon et al. 2009). The use of a reflective practice facilitator provides a systematic and constant reminder to practitioners of the importance and benefits which this tool can give in work life. The facilitator provides an outlet for relevant and knowledgeable advice in what a practitioner may perceive as being a difficult circumstance. This study suggests that reflective practice has a positive impact on clinical skills and professional practice. Another study found that within the format of a meeting environment consisting of health professionals, reflective practice was influenced by five factors. The first factor which influenced reflective practice was that too much structure in a meeting lowered the ability to reflect. Secondly the level of interest a prof essional has in reflection, the more interested being better reflectors. Meetings in which people have certain roles and consist of tasks do not provide ideal for reflection. A pressurised environment where a professional is obliged to complete tasks, was shown to prevent reflective capabilities also (Heel, Sparrow et al. 2006). It would be nieve and absurd to remove structure from this mode of reflection, as the KPI targets reinforce good reflection methods. . Reflective practice has been proven to be an important tool in developing clinical skills and professional development. All studies had a similar agreement that reflective practice is good but the method of reflecting varied. Reflective practice has to be carried out from student to professional level. Reflection was said to increase confidence, decision making, motivation and professionalism (Clouston, Westcott 2005). There were no studies found that measured the effectiveness of reflective practice, perhaps this is an area where more research is needed. Another area that no research was located on was bad experiences of reflective practice. Further study into these areas could give more insight into how beneficial reflection is.

Aquaria In Relation To Science :: essays research papers

The hobby of fish keeping is much more difficult than it seems. It is also directly dependant on science. The bacterial cycle is one aspect related to science. As is how different filters work. Water conditions such as temperature, ph, and salinity play a big role in successful fish keeping as well. Science and Fish keeping go hand in hand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When a tank is first started fish waste and excess food begins to decompose at the bottom. One type of bacteria breaks it down to ammonia, which is highly poisonous to fish. Then a second type of bacteria breaks down the ammonia to nitrites, nitrites are also moderately poisonous to fish in small amounts. Lastly a third type of bacteria converts nitrites to nitrates which are not harmful to fish but build up to toxic amounts generally within a few months. That is why 20% water changes every two weeks is essential to healthy fish keeping. It generally takes a tank 21 days to cycle. During those 21 days there are 3 days where the ammonia spikes to a large amount and 2 days later on when nitrites spike generally.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  There are 2 types of filtration for fish tanks biological and mechanical. Biological is what I spoke about in the previous paragraph. Those bacteria grow best on objects besides gravel. That is why having plastic plants and other dà ©cor in the tank doesn’t just make the tank look nice but also give the bacteria a better place to grow. Mechanical filtration aids in biological filtration in two ways, the water is filtered through a medium that helps dissolve the ammonia and nitrites into smaller pieces easier for the bacteria to convert, and filter out bigger objects from the water such as excess food. Generally the filter media is activated carbon within a floss cartridge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ph value in a tank doesn’t generally matter for basic to medium aquarium hobbyist. As long as it is between 6.5 and 7.2, ph ranges from acidic to base water. Some fish however like higher more acidic ph values, where as some fish are very stressed in acidic water and are more susceptible to disease and death. Temperature is very important to maintain to a certain extent. Most tropical and salt-water fish enjoy temperatures from 68 °F-78 °F. It is essential to have a heater in your tank to maintain the temperature. Salinity is important to monitor and control in salt water tanks.